Past Proposals

Project summaries

Innovation Lab Summer Institute

Develops the content, resources, and implementation plan to offer a series of institutes and workshops in the Professional Development Center in the School of Education to equip K-12 school leaders with the tools and processes to foster innovation in teaching and learning. Proposes to offer multiple week-long, small group institutes and a larger conference format event.

BUAD 443 – Entrepreneurial Ventures Redesign – Blending eLearning

This course refresh seeks to build on the success of the current in-person course format by pairing rigorous online content with rich in-person entrepreneurial ecosystem experiences. Proposes leveraging online learning for foundational entrepreneurial content and further bringing that content to life through immersive in-person experiences led by practitioners in the local entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Virtual Chemistry Lab

Developing virtual lab experiences for non-science majors, which will increase access to the GER requirement (some students currently turned away), increase lab space for science majors, and save on laboratory materials.

Redesigning Principles of Economics

Developing interactive learning modules to complement lectures for ECON 101 and 102, which will allow fewer course sections (currently 13 each year), provide students control of their learning pace, and shift resources to upper-level courses (some students currently turned away) or to recapture savings for faculty salaries.

ePD: Faculty Development for Digitally Enhanced Student Learning

Providing a 6-week summer professional development program for faculty on incorporating learning technologies, which will increase pedagogical efficiency/effectiveness, respond to the demand for classroom space, and possibly increase course availability and summer course offerings.

MAcc Prerequisite Blended eLearning

Developing online offerings for four prerequisite courses to increase applications to the program, ensure incoming students are well prepared, provide more offerings for non-business majors, generate new revenues, and pave the way for a sustainable future for the program.

Post-Baccalaureate Classical Languages Curriculum

Developing a post-baccalaureate curriculum to allow students to increase proficiency in Latin and Greek, thereby meeting the need of a growing number of students who decide to pursue graduate work midway through college and lack the language skills required for top programs.

Investigating a Possible January Term

Developing a broader proposal for creating January course offerings, both on campus and abroad, to increase access to high demand courses and GER requirements as well as expand opportunities for research experience, service learning, and internships.

VIMS Education Outreach Program

Developing a fee-based program for marine contractors and consultants to replace a smaller, less intensive program currently offered for free.

Enhancing Problem-Solving Skills Using Online Tutorials

Aims to reduce the need for large introductory-level classes by replacing them with more personalized attention in smaller, less frequent classes using online modules.

Developing a Neurodiversity Curriculum for the Washington, D.C. Office

Will create and offer one-credit multidisciplinary neurodiversity classes at the Williamsburg and Washington, D.C. campuses.

College Teaching Certificate

Creates a 12-credit College Teaching Certificate program to be delivered in online and traditional formats, focusing on college teaching and course design, teaching strategies, designing inclusive classrooms and educational technologies.

Development of Online and Hybrid Endorsement Courses for Certification in Gifted Education

Fulfills a need in Virginia for coursework required for teachers working with gifted students; restructures the existing courses for both online and hybrid format delivery, and develops a broader set of courses to expand options for Virginia and out-of-state students.

Establishing a W&M English Language Program (ELP)

Creation of a W&M ELP would prepare and support international students, scholars and professionals in English language and academic skills. This multi-faceted program would support the W&M internationalization mission as well as provide academic support to our international student and scholar population.

Design Thinking for K-12 Educators and School Leaders in a Distributed Online Connected Course

Developing and launching a Distributed Online Connected Course (DOCC) on Design Thinking for Educators and School Leaders to provide professional development on innovative thinking and problem solving. The DOCC will be the first in a series of continuing education initiatives at the School of Education that will help prepare teachers and school leaders to think creatively about personalized innovative curriculum development.

Open Educational Resources Pilot Project

Developing and implementing an Open Educational Resources (OER) to support grants to faculty who are interested in re-working their course materials to include free, fully-customizable open course texts to reduce student costs and improve student success.

Reinventing the Lower Division Labs in Chemistry Using Modern Digital Technology

Overhauls the large lower division chemistry labs by replacing currently used equipment with hand-held digital data systems that incorporate numerous plug and play sensors and devices. This new model of equipping the labs will provide continuity and modernization of laboratory curriculum, and generate long-term cost savings on lab equipment and supplies.

Online Master’s Degree Program in Counseling

In collaboration with Everspring, the counseling faculty of the School of Education will launch an online master’s degree program in counseling with emphases in school counseling, marriage and family counseling, and clinical mental health counseling. The Creative Adaptation Fund will provide support for the development of the initial four courses in the program. The program will generate revenues to fund program improvement and innovation across the School of Education, as well as contributing to the university under a revenue-sharing agreement.

Well-Aligned Classes for a Well-Rounded Education in the Life Sciences and Computer Science

The project is a concerted effort of faculty in Biology and Computer Science to provide an improved learning experience for students that scales with the huge student populations seen in both disciplines. It also addresses the need for biology majors to be confident and competent in the application of computational methods and for computer science majors to learn how abstract computational methods apply to real-world challenges in the life sciences. eLearning techniques will be employed and carefully evaluated to provide a high-quality learning experience for courses that cater to hundreds of students each semester.

Creation of a Dual-Purpose GIS Certificate Program to Support Expansion of the Center for Geospatial Analysis

This project proposes to develop a dual-purpose Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Certificate program run by the W&M Center for Geospatial Analysis. This program would serve the needs of existing students by adding a GIS certificate option and bring to campus post-baccalaureate students for an intensive one-year program in GIS.

Expanding Online Learning Modules for the Principles of Economics Course

In 2012, four W&M economics instructors redesigned the Principles of Economics course by developing online learning modules that substitute for lectures. The project has been successful, and this project will revise modules, add new ones, and write an instructor’s manual to help others use the modules.